One Ring to Rule Them All Z
One Ring to Rule Them All Z Chapter One: One Ring to Rule Them All It was a rainy afternoon as Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans flew back to his home from his training in the wastelands. Lightning betrayed his figure in the dark sky, as thunder shook his body to its' core. Vegeta wasn't afraid though, he enjoyed the feeling of being in the rain, remembering how his power had tore a storm asunder once, years ago… Ting! Something hit Vegeta's goggles with a noticeable impact, startling him and forcing him to an instant stop. With his reflexes, he grabbed the small object tightly in his right hand. Even through his thick glove he could feel it's shape, small…circular…and cold. Vegeta opened his hand, and another flash of light revealed it for but a moment. It was a ring, golden as the sun, in the palm of his hand. "A ring?" Vegeta said aloud. The saiyan looked up and around, wondering where it may have come from, ascending hundreds of feet to see only more clouds and rain. "Huh! Mine now!" Vegeta tucked it into his jean pocket, and resumed his course, arriving back at the Briefs' compound in West City half an hour later, the darkness of the coming night serving as good cover. Vegeta didn't like hiding his power from the rest of the world, but he did realize that he wouldn't like all the attention he would get either. He entered through the back patio, turning on the lights to see a towel waiting for him, next to it was a not, Bulma's hand righting on it. "Welcome home!" ''It said in cursive, next to a winking face. Vegeta couldn't help but smile. For his rough exterior, and brutal nature, he did love his wife, and his son too, even if he shirked his training so he could take over the company one day. Vegeta set the card down and dried off with the towel, turned off the light and walked into the living room. He saw his son, Trunks snoring, face down in one of many books around him on the dining room table. ''"If he trained as hard as he studied, he could be the greatest fighter in the universe…next to me." Vegeta walked over and patted his son on the back, glad to see him after nearly a week away from his family. Sitting down gently on the sofa, Vegeta turned on the humongous flat screen, hitting the volume down button quickly before flipping through the channels. "Nothing on as usual." Vegeta mused to himself. Leaving it on one of the dozen or so sports channels, as he leaned back and reached into his pocket. Vegeta examined the ring in the light of the television. It was shiny, but had no distinguishing features, nothing special about it. "Where the hell did you come from?" Vegeta's sight drew nearer and nearer to the cold piece of gold in-between his thumb and pointer finger. The noise of the television and Trunks' snoring faded away, only the ring occupying his thoughts. Vegeta was suddenly overtaken by something. An emotion he never really let go, desire. More than he felt for immortality, more than he felt for his woman, even more than he felt for his ascension to what Kakarot called "Super Saiyan 3". This one single ring, was all that mattered to him. Not his friends, not his family, nothing. "''VEE-GEE-TAA…" '' "Wha-no!" ''Vegeta broke out of his stupor, shocked at what he had thought. ''"That's…not me, that's not me…" ''Vegeta said to himself. Vegeta rose up and walked over to the trash can, ready to dump the ring into it. "Probably a fake anyway…must not be feeling to well…" Vegeta's hand threatened to open and drop the ring into the bin, never seeing it again. His fist loosened, and even though Vegeta had given up his quest to rule and destroy the galaxy as a bloodthirsty Saiyan prince, and fought beings that had thrashed him around like nothing in the end, this was the most difficult thing he had ever done. Every fiber of his being screamed "' "LET IT GO! THROW IT AWAY!" But some small part of him, greater than the rest, said "No." Vegeta let his arm down with a deep sigh.'' "Look at me, I'm going crazy. It's…" Vegeta opened his hand and admired the ring. "Just a ring. Maybe Bulma would like it. Earth women like shiny things. '' ''Vegeta slowly put the ring back in his pocket, feeling it's cold against his skin brought him some sort of strange comfort. "Just a ring." Vegeta said to himself again. The tired Saiyan plopped back down on the couch, turned the television off, and went to sleep, suddenly very tired. 'Chapter Two: The World Tournament' It was still pouring down when Vegeta woke up, feeling soft air on his face. His eyes fluttered open and he rubbed the sleep away to see the face of his beautiful love, Bulma Briefs. Her face close to his, smiling. "Hey baby." She said tenderly as she kissed him gently on the lips, which Vegeta returned in kind. "Welcome back." she said as she caressed his cheek. "So, how'd your 'training' go?" Vegeta chuckled, memories of his time alone coming back. The time Vegeta spent in the wastelands was more spiritual, than mere physical training. Vegeta had nearly gone insane years back when Trunks had told him that he and Goten had obtained Super Saiyan 3 in their fused form. It made no sense, how a mere child could do something he still hadn't, something that probably took Kakarot years to achieve in Other World in no time at all. Vegeta took time alone to meditate, strengthening his spirit, rather than his muscles. He did feel different that he did before, stronger in some way, but… Vegeta felt it quickly, the cold inside his pocket against his skin, the ring. "It went…fine, Bulma." Vegeta sighed as he got up and off the couch, heading off to take a shower. "Where're you going, honey?" Bulma asked. "Shower." Vegeta said. "Care to have some company?" Bulma teased, wanting to 'welcome' her man back home. "No." Vegeta said. "Hmph! Well excuse me, Prince!" Bulma scoffed as he headed into the kitchen to at least make Vegeta a nice meal. The shower was running, the heat fogging up the mirrors in the bathroom. Vegeta sat shirtless on the toilet seat, admiring the golden ring in his hands. Vegeta touched it, caressed it, feeling as if what he held was the most powerful thing he ever felt, and the most fragile thing in creation. "So…precious…" A knock on the door broke Vegeta out of his trance. "What?!" he shouted, angry beyond reason. "You done in there, dad? I need to go number two." "Go away, Trunks! There are two other bathrooms for you to use, now fuck off!" "…okay.." Trunks sounded hurt as he went away, and Vegeta felt bad for yelling at his son for no reason, but that guilt went away as soon as his eyes made contact with the ring again. "I…" Vegeta shut his mouth and stepped into the shower, cleaning himself quickly, the ring still in his hands. He put his clothes into the hamper in the bathroom, taking a moment to look at himself. He saw the same face he saw hundreds of times before, but he could see them. Wrinkles, just barely forming, his dark brown hair a few shades lighter than it was years ago, and his weeks without shaving had produced the first stages of a beard and mustache combo. Vegeta was looking like his father more than ever now. "Hmph." Vegeta scoffed, leaving the bathroom and shutting off the lights. It truly did anger him so. Kakarot was always the one to save the day, always the one to ascend to the next level. Super Saiyan Three…the mere though drove Vegeta to a boiling rage sometimes. Why should he, the prince of all saiyans be denied this power, when Kakarot, and even their young sons were able to achieve it, the later not having even obtained the second level. Vegeta had trained day after day, but to no avail. He wasn't much stronger than before, and he wasn't any closer to knowing how to achieve the third and final state, and his pride prevented him from asking Trunks how he and Goten achieved it, though he doubted they themselves would know, and he would never lower himself to asking Kakarot how he did it. Vegeta threw on some clothes and headed for the door. ''"Power."''Vegeta stopped, his hand on the doorknob when he heard the voice. He turned, no one was there, and he didn't feel anyone in the room with him. "Hearing things." Vegeta opened the door and headed to the kitchen, the smell of food overpowering his sorrow and anger for the moment. Bulma had made him his favorite, rice and spicy bacon. Vegeta downed four servings, gave his lover a deep, passionate kiss, a slap on the ass, and went out for a walk, the rain stopping at last. Vegeta walked by the park that he took Trunks to on many occasions, the barber shop that Trunks went to for his first and only haircut, the all you can eat buffet that Vegeta nearly put out of business one night. The chef's orders were shoot to kill should he step foot on the premises again. And, as fate would have it, Vegeta took a right instead of a left, which would have had him back home. No, this time, he took the left turn, crossed the street, and walked stopped by a group of people shaking their umbrellas off and gawking at a large poster, their mouths running at full speed. "Wow! The next tournament is in three weeks!" "Hercule must be itching for a fight, if he demanded it begin a month early, maybe it's that big pink guy he has as his new apprentice?" "Ha! I hear that, that fat guy doesn't look like much, but Hercule did deafeat Cell, and I'm sure he could turn anyone into a martial arts master like himself!" Vegeta's fists clenched tight at his sides, if there was any human he hated as much as anyone he's ever hated before, it was Hercule Satan. Taking the credit for saving the Earth after precious saiyan blood was spilt, after a child, barely into his manhood became the most powerful warrior in the universe, after Kakarot sacrificed himself, saving Vegeta like he couldn't have handled himself, only for it to not have worked at all. The rage boiled back down, and Vegeta stepped closer. It had taken some time, but the alphabet of Earth's peoples was now mastered by the saiyan prince. ''"The Greatest Martial Arts Spectacle Returns!" ''Vegeta thought to himself mockingly as he read the poster. ''"Hercule Satan, the World Champion, challenges all comers to the 26'th'' World Martial Arts Tournament!" ''A vision of Vegeta beating in Hercules' face popped into Vegeta's head. The sound of bone caving in and people screaming made him smile, and he didn't care. Vegeta shoved his way passed the people, and put his fist through the poster, and the large glass cover protecting it, and the steel backing behind it. He retracted his arm, showing it to the startled pedestrians. "That clown! That fake! That shitting his pants, limp dick, little bitch! He's mine!" Vegeta walked off, the people giving him a wide birth as he went. Three weeks later, Vegeta and hundreds of other fighters from around the world signed up, and Papaya Island swarmed with life once again. Vegeta stormed out of the bathroom in his small hotel room, glancing over his bed, Bulma lay there half naked and wanting. "How about a few rounds with me, Mr. Prince." she teased, licking her lips. Vegeta scoffed and let them room. "Go and find Yamcha, he'll be good for a fuck." Bulma burst off the bed, slamming the door. Their sex life had died off the past few weeks, Vegeta spending more and more attention to training, and more time alone with himself. Vegeta was feeling angry, and that feeling didn't lessen when he saw the buffoon running towards him, family in tow. "Hey! Vegeta! Hey! Hey. Vegeta! Long time, pal!" "What the hell do you want, Kakarot." Vegeta said under his breath. "Hey, what's wrong, Veg-oh haey, look who it is, guys!" The massive television screen above the entrance to the Martial Arts Temple switched from the same videos it had been playing over and over, to Hercule Satan, live from his deluxe hotel sweet. "Gree-tings! Hello, people of the world! It's me, your champion, Hercule Satan, and I welcome you to the 26th World's Martial Arts tournament! I hope all of you enjoy yourselves, and to the fighters out there, good luck getting third place, heh-hah! Oh, and if you're wondering why I said ''third place, let me introduce to you my new apprentice, Mr. Buu!" The camera filming Satan panned over to the left, a large pink man sat at the edge of Hercule's large bed, stuffing his face with chocolate and cakes. "Say hello to the fans, Buu!" Buu looked into the camera as it zoomed in, casing everyone outside to react accordingly with an "Eh!". "Heeeelllloooooo, people!" Buu went back to his large tray of sweets, the camera back to Hercule. "Heh-ha-ha-ha!" Hercule laughed somewhat nervously. "Ah…as you can see, my new apprentice is a…man…of few words, yeah! Heh-hah-hah!" Hercule cleared his throat. "May you fight with honor!" Hercule struck a powerful pose as the crowd outside erupted. "Hercule! Hercule! Hercule!" they cried, every time Vegeta grew angrier and angrier, the heat of his fury clashing with the cold metal against his chest, since his chosen fighting gear didn't have any pockets, he made a necklace out of one of Bulma's old ones, breaking the large diamond off and putting something far dearer to him in it's place. Vegeta's hand touched the ring, caressing it softly and tenderly. "Soon…Kakarot! Stay out of my way!" Vegeta shoved his way past his rival, glancing over Chi-Chi, Gohan, Goten, and Hercule's daughter, Videl, her stomach bulging out. Vegeta stopped for a moment, staring at her pregnant belly. "Hey…Vegeta…" she said nervously. Vegeta met her gaze for a moment as he walked off into the temple. "Bastard! Bitch! Whore! Less than half a saiyan!" ''Vegeta's mind became a storm of violent emotions, suddenly overcome with rage and hate. ''"Kakarot, Satan, Buu, that unborn bastard….I'll kill every last one of them!" ''Vegeta broke away from his thoughts, guilt and fear overcoming him as he rushed off the side of the people walking in, supporting himself against a brick wall. "No…what am I saying? What am I-" "Attention contestants, the preliminary rounds will begin shortly, so sign up now if you have not already. This is your final chance." Vegeta heeded the voice coming from the speakers around the temple, and rushed through the crowd, signing up with a minute left. Wow, man, you just made it." said the monk at the booth. "Lucky me." Vegeta smirked as his name was added to the preliminary fighting chart. "Okay pal, looks like you're going against….Brian Lee, ring number five, good luck." "I don't need it." Vegeta said as he walked away, his body moving closer to combat, closer to his destiny.' 'Chapter Three: The Prince's Throne' "Round five! Brian Lee vs. Vegeta! Begin!" The monk shouted as he stepped out of the ring, signaling for the match to begin. Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, across from a pompous looking rich boy, his coaches, trainers, and even cheerleaders behind him. "Oh my, you certainly don't look like much, my good man, but don't worry, I've beaten uglier than you, ah-ha-ha!" Lee brushed his hair to the side, his raven hair flowing like smooth silk in the light. "Get him kid, stop screwin' around!" shouted an elderly coach behind him, one of several. "Get him, champ! Get him!" the cheerleaders cried as they shook their pompoms in the air and jiggled their butts around, gaining the attention of every hot blooded male in the room. Brian Lee rushed Vegeta, his fist connecting with Vegeta's face. Brian Lee smirked, then drew back his hand, screaming in pain. "Ahhhh! My hand! My hand is broken!" Vegeta lowered his stance, and cocked back his right hand, and let loose, aiming just above Brain Lee's right hip. Lee stopped screaming for a moment, then started up again, even louder this time. Vegeta had to shout over him to say "That was his appendix, you might want to get this bitch to a hospital, wouldn't want the worms to choke on his soft little body in a few days, now would we?!" Vegeta jumped off, the other fighters giving him a wide birth, and Vegeta sat down on a chair near the wall, the previous occupant getting up quickly when he saw Vegeta headed his way. Brain was dragged off on a stretcher, rushed to the hospital. Vegeta's next matches were quick, most of his opponents giving up before the fight began. "All right!" Vegeta turned his head to the left, the next room over was were Kakarot was fighting, he was winning of course, but held back to make his fight interesting, or that's what Vegeta imagined at least. The temple houses many rooms, four of which held four rings each, Kakarot would dominate his room and his individual ring. Vegeta had sensed Tien was at the tournament, as well as Yamcha, they were in the same room, with Buu in a room to his right.''"Pathetic little bastards, when I…" ''Vegeta noticed someone next to him, a monk. The pudgy referee adjusted his glasses as he addressed Vegeta. "Excuse me, sir, but your next match is up. Vegeta trudged back into ring number 1, with the three other rigs in the large room falling silent. Vegeta beat his opponent, and the next one, and the one after that, till he was champion of ring number one, he and the three other champions of rings two, three and four were given pedants, each one etched with the symbol of the corresponding number of the ring they survived. The sixteen champions were escorted down a hallway, into a large circular room, the outside ring just beyond, the marble sparkling in the sunlight. "The semi-finals will begin in fifteen minutes, gentlemen, the dining hall is down the hallway and to the right, the restrooms to the left, if you need any directions, just ask." The monks left the champions to themselves, a few going back down the hall to grab a nice meal. "Wow, sure is nice they changed things back they way were in my younger days. So…want to go grab a bite?" Kakarot said as he walked up to Vegeta, who just ignored him. "…Okay…" Kakarot walked off, increasingly worried about Vegeta, but pushing those worries aside as his stomach growled. Only a few fighters were left, martial artists of all styles, the three from Vegeta's room didn't make eye contact. But one champion did, from room three, champion of ring ten. All three eyes were on him. "Long time, Vegeta." Tien Shinhan, sat across from Vegeta, all three eyes on him, two more off to his side, Yamcha glaring at Vegeta as well. Vegeta ignored Tien as well. "Your aura seems to be off, Vegeta. Really messed up." Vegeta eyed Tien, and leaned closer to him "You got a problem, three eyes?" Tien leaned in closer. "As a matter of fact…I do." "Me too." Yamcha added in, sensing something off about Vegeta. "Buu likes chocolate!" all eyes in the room slowly drifted to the large, pink man in the room, who for the most part, had been silent. He was unwrapping a chocolate bar when he noticed everyone's eyes on him. "No." Buu said as he held his candy closer. The next ten minutes were an uncomfortable silence for most everyone in the room, the tension lifting when the other champions returned, and a monk escorted them all outside into the light, into the cheering of the crowd. "And now, give it up for the sixteen winning contestants!" shouted the ring announcer, who seemingly hadn't aged a day since the last tournament. The crowd cheered wildly, and Vegeta felt…happy. Happy in a sense that these mere humans were cheering for a saiyan prince, their better in everyway. Vegeta smirked as he thought ''"Yes, cheer for the Prince of all Saiyans." ''A large, dark purple bowl on a pedestal was wheeled into the center of the ring. "And now, if the contestants would please line up, and take a single ball from the container!" Vegeta, Tien, Goku, Yamcha, Buu and the rest lined up, one at a time reaching into the bowl taking out a ball. "Remember, folks, the corresponding ball will decide the matches! One will fight two, ten will fight eleven, and from there on, each fighter will take on the nest highest number! Now let's see what we've got!" It was simple from there on. The giant screen at above the entrance to the ring displayed the tournament tree. Vegeta drew number one, something that filled him with pride. Yamcha drew number two, Goku drew number seven, and Tien drew number fourteen. "So there you have it, folks! Our first match will be a fighter who's graced the tournament before, Yamcha versus relative newcomer, Vegeta! The first match will begin shortly!" As the other champions were escorted off, Goku walked over to Vegeta. "Hey Vegeta, try not to beat too him quickly." Goku joked at the man he still saw as good old Vegeta. ''Vegeta decided he wouldn't kill Yamcha, as he knew he couldn't fend off Kakarot and Gohan both should they try anything. No, he would bide his time… "I'll hurt him gently then." Vegeta said as he back away from Goku to his side of the ring, caressing the cold metal underneath his shirt. Kakarot left the ring, giving a thumbs up to Yamcha. He responded with a half hearted smile. The ring was cleared, and off to the side, monks were banging on large drums, signaling the start of the semi finals of the tournament. "You realize you're not going to win, Yamcha. You can give up now and leave. Tell you what, you can pay Bulma a visit in our hotel room, in case you're jonesing for sloppy thirds, bitch." Yamcha just smirked back at Vegeta. "I know I can't beat you Vegeta, and that's why I'm doing ''this." Yamcha turned to the announcer and said "I forfeit. I'm a fighter, not an idiot." Yamcha smoothly walked off the ring, much to the displeasure of the crowd. "Ah…um….your winner, Vegeta!" the announcer recovered and raised his arm to Vegeta, a shit eating grin on his face. ''"THE WEAK ARE BUT THE BONES YOU WILL BUILD MY THRONE UPON." ''Vegeta heard the voice again, and smiled. "Yessssss." Category:Fan Fiction